This invention relates to an FD-shaped adapter used for recording data delivered from an electric apparatus, such as a personal computer, to a card-shaped memory device and reproducing data from the card-shaped memory device to the personal computer through an FD drive (which may be abbreviated to xe2x80x9cFDDxe2x80x9d), in particular, to the FD-shaped adapter suitable for the card-shaped memory device having comparatively large thickness.
Such kind of the FD-shaped adapter has the same shape as a 3.5-inch (3.5xe2x80x3) flexible or floppy disk (which may be abbreviated to an xe2x80x9cFDxe2x80x9d). The FD-shaped adapter is used as follows. The FD-shaped adapter contains the card-shaped memory device. The card-shaped memory device is removable from the FD-shaped adapter. The FD-shaped adapter is inserted into the FDD. The FD-shaped adapter records data delivered from the personal computer to the card-shaped memory device and reproduces data from the card-shaped memory device to the personal computer through the FDD.
Because the card-shaped memory devices called as a xe2x80x9cMemory Stickxe2x80x9d, a xe2x80x9cSmart Mediaxe2x80x9d, a xe2x80x9cMultimedia Cardxe2x80x9d (all these are registered or no-registered trademark), and so on are small size and solid and are gradually increased in storage capacity year by year, the card-shaped memory device tends to be widely used for the electric apparatus such as a visual apparatus, an audio apparatus, or a data processing apparatus, in particular, for a mobile-use apparatus.
As an interface apparatus capable of interfacing between the card-shaped memory device and the personal computer provided with the FDD as the most popularized storage drive so as to record data to the card-shaped memory device and reproduce data from the card-shaped memory device by an easy operation such as that for the 3.5xe2x80x3 FD, the FD-shaped adapter is known and used.
Each of the card-shaped memory devices such as Memory Stick, Smart Media, and Multimedia Card is standardized electrically and mechanically. In regard to the standard in thickness, Smart Media has a small thickness: 0.75 mm while Memory Stick and Multimedia Card have large thickness: 2.80 mm and 1.40 mm, respectively.
Because the FD-shaped adapter for the card-shaped memory device is used as like as the use of the FD as mentioned above, the FD-shaped adapter must have the same or the similar dimension as the FD. Therefore, the FD-shaped adapter is, for example, limited in thickness: 3.30 mm.
A base case, as a major part of a casing, of the FD-shaped adapter for Smart Media is generally formed by only a plate member made of resin.
On the other hand, a base case of the FD-shaped adapter for Memory Stick or Multimedia Card is made of resin but is provided with a hole portion bored between both sides of the base case. Shape and dimension of the hole portion corresponds to a shape and the dimension of Memory Stick or Multimedia Card. One side of the hole portion is covered with a metal plate member (sheet metal member) called as a bottom cover, that is, a part individual and different from the base case.
The reason why the base case of the FD-shaped adapter for Memory Stick or Multimedia Card is not formed by a resin plate member only as like as the base case of the FD-shaped adapter for Smart Media is described below. If the base case of the FD-shaped adapter for Memory Stick or Multimedia Card is formed by the resin plate only, the base case must has a resin region having very small thickness in order to contain the card-shaped memory device having comparatively large thickness (Memory Stick or Multimedia Card). It is difficult to form such small thickness resin region by an injection molding. Furthermore, even if the base case having such small thickness is made by the injection molding, the base case never withstands practical use and therefore must be damaged easily.
In the FD-shaped adapter for Memory Stick or Multimedia Card, the bottom cover has a plate shape and is attached to the base case by adhesive, double-sided adhesive tape, or welding.
However, the bottom cover attached by the adhesive, the double-sided adhesive tape, or the welding may be easily removed. If the bottom cover is removed, user of the FD-shaped adapter may be hurt because edges of the bottom cover are keen. Furthermore, the bottom cover is removed when the FD-shaped adapter is inserted in the FD drive, the FD drive may fail.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an FD-shaped adapter which is used for a card-shaped memory device having comparatively large thickness and which has solidly-built structure so that a bottom cover is hard to remove.
An FD-shaped adapter for a card-shaped memory device to which this invention is applicable is which has a 3.5-inch flexible disk (FD)-shape and which is used for a card-shaped memory device so that the card-shaped memory device is removably inserted therein, the FD-shaped adapter being inserted into a flexible disk drive (FDD) in order to record/reproduce data to/from the card-shaped memory device through the FDD. The FD-shaped adapter has a base case, an electric circuit portion, a top cover, and a bottom cover. The base case is made of resin and provided with a cut-out portion formed so as to boring through upper and lower surfaces of the base case. The electric circuit portion is mounted on the upper surface of the base case. The top cover is made of metal and covering the whole of the upper surface of the base case. The bottom cover is made of metal and covering the cut-out portion at the lower surface of the base case. The bottom cover has a plate-shape and is provided with a bottom plate, side plates upwardly extended from side edges of the bottom plate, and flanges outwardly extended from each top edge of the side plates. The bottom cover is attached on the base case so that the flanges are sandwiched between the upper surface of the base case and an inner surface of the top cover.
The other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will become clear as the following description proceeds.